On Friday, a federal district court in San Francisco found UC Berkeley Campus Police Officer Brendan Tinney not guilty of violating a student’s civil rights during a Nov. 20, 2009 protest.

Berkeley graduate student Zhivka Valiavicharska charged Tinney with the use of excessive force when baton strikes broke her pinky. Valiavicharska had placed her hand on a metal barricade used to separate students and UCPD officers during the incident.

The demonstration included roughly 2,000 students and occurred in response to a 32 percent increase in UC tuition. According to a report released by the campus’ Police Review Board in June 2010, the administration’s decision to increase police presence combined with officers’ use of force and lack of communication transformed the protest from non-violent to volatile.

—Staff Report